Monday 23 October 1665

Up, and after doing some business I down by water, calling to see my wife, with whom very merry for ten minutes, and so to Erith, where my Lord Bruncker and I kept the office, and dispatched some business by appointment on the Bezan. Among other things about the slopsellers, who have trusted us so long, they are not able, nor can be expected to trust us further, and I fear this winter the fleete will be undone by that particular. Thence on board the East India ship, where my Lord Bruncker had provided a great dinner, and thither comes by and by Sir John Minnes and before him Sir W. Warren and anon a Perspective glasse maker, of whom we, every one, bought a pocket glasse.

But I am troubled with the much talke and conceitedness of Mrs. Williams and her impudence, in case she be not married to my Lord. They are getting themselves ready to deliver the goods all out to the East India Company, who are to have the goods in their possession and to advance two thirds of the moderate value thereof and sell them as well as they can and the King to give them 6 per cent. for the use of the money they shall so advance. By this means the company will not suffer by the King’s goods bringing down the price of their own.

Thence in the evening back again with Sir W. Warren and Captain Taylor in my boat, and the latter went with me to the office, and there he and I reckoned; and I perceive I shall get 100l. profit by my services of late to him, which is a very good thing. Thence to my lodging, where I find my Lord Rutherford, of which I was glad. We supped together and sat up late, he being a mighty wanton man with a daughter in law of my landlady’s, a pretty conceited woman big with child, and he would be handling her breasts, which she coyly refused. But they gone, my Lord and I to business, and he would have me forbear paying Alderman Backewell the money ordered him, which I, in hopes to advantage myself, shall forbear, but do not think that my Lord will do any thing gratefully more to me than he hath done, not that I shall get any thing as I pretended by helping him to interest for his last 7700l., which I could do, and do him a courtesy too. Discourse being done, he to bed in my chamber and I to another in the house.

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Annotations

For Samuel Pepys Esqr:One of the principall Officersof his Majesties Navy at Greenewich

Sayes Court

23 October 1665 (2)

Sir,

Yours of the 17th Instant (3) I found at my returne from Leades (4), and Kentish Circle, requiring an accoumpt of what Sea-men have been sick on shore? the ships whence they came? and the place to which? with other particulars to encounter the fraud of the Pursers etc. Sir, for mine owne concerne, I sent you that of Deale, and am ready to present you with the rest of mine to the 5th June last [from November to June] (5); since which we have not yet altogether finished the last quarter; but I presume may be ready with it to a day, by that time you have examin’d these: For those of my other Breathren, I presume they are also prepard for you: But I can give no positive account of it, they being all of them many miles distant from our place of meeting: In the meane time I have sent your Letter to Sir William Doily, that he may know what your Commands are: I verily believe his are in very good order, having lent him my Clearke (6) so long, though to mine owne prejudice: With what concernes my Selfe as to this particular, I shall to morrow (God willing) waite on you, who amSir,

2 MS: ‘Says-Court 23d:Octr:1665’. E wrote more freely to Sir Richard Browne, the same day: ‘...The King will not have a man to serve him shortly... Do they believe 12000 Sick-men can be maintained with nothing?... The Major of Rochester, swore to me, they would throw our sick-men in the streetes if I did not send them mony, their poore miserable Landlords who quarter them clamoring so to the Court there, and exclaiming, not to say cursing, with dreadful imprecations, comparing the tymes, with former. But of this, more when I see you, and may speake freely...’ (BL.1480).

3 Not known - it is evident from later in this letter that E had sent it on to Doyly and presumably never made a copy. P made no copy in his letter book (NMM LBK/8).

A Message from the Lords, by Sir William Childe and Sir Nathaniell Hobart;

Mr. Speaker, The Lords have commanded us to acquaint you, That they have agreed with this House in the Bill for granting the Sum of Twelve hundred and Fifty thousand Pounds to the King's Majesty, for his present further Supply, without any Alteration or Amendment.

I think Pepys is rather amused by being able to use his "minute watch" (e.g. see the top of the entry for 13 Sept).

A quick search of 'minutes' in the dairy has it rarely being used to measure time. When it is used it's on the order of a few, i.e. something that's estimated off the cuff. However if one has one of those fancy "minute watches" then it can be used on the cuff as it were to precisely measure longer intervals - w/o standing next to a wall clock.

"But I am troubled with the much talke and conceitedness of Mrs. Williams and her impudence, in case she be not married to my Lord."

Hmmn...I would think Mrs. Williams is the one to be nervous about her state if she be not married to my Lord.

***"We supped together and sat up late, he being a mighty wanton man with a daughter in law of my landlady’s, a pretty conceited woman big with child, and he would be handling her breasts, which she coyly refused."

Shocking, Sam...We feel for you having to endure such depravity. But at least you finally have something to say about doings at Mrs. Clerke's place. And so nice to hear my Lord Rutherford doesn't stand on ceremony.

We are lucky of course to have Sam's little snippets of real life in the 60's. Rather like reading in Ward that FDR's rather stiff and unbending country gentleman father James used to write his brother John gleeful letters about the wild Irish girls of old NYC.

from the Net:In Gulliver: "I took out my small perspective glass, and viewed the enemy's fleet at anchor, consisting of about fifty men of war"In Robinson Crusoe: "I looked, but I saw nobody, no, not with a perspective glass, which was, I suppose, because I could not hit the place"In Richard II there is also a "perspective". See: http://www.jstor.org/pss/450358

How come there were so many perspective glasses to sell on a ship? Maybe there were part of the spoils and the "glass maker" just a swift seller?

"[T]he East India Company...are to have the [prize] goods in their possession and to advance two thirds of the moderate value thereof and sell them as well as they can and the King to give them 6 per cent. for the use of the money they shall so advance. By this means the company will not suffer by the King’s goods bringing down the price of their own."

By monopolizing the supply of imported goods, the East India Company can control the demand. What a sweet deal! Surely it hasn't happened since. ;-)

" ... the latter went with me to the office, and there he and I reckoned; and I perceive I shall get 100l. profit by my services of late to him, which is a very good thing."" ... my Lord Rutherford, ... he would have me forbear paying Alderman Backewell the money ordered him, which I, in hopes to advantage myself, shall forbear, but do not think that my Lord will do any thing gratefully more to me than he hath done, not that I shall get any thing as I pretended by helping him ..."

The rubric about SP's actions being primarily for the 'King's benefit' appear now unnecessary.

"...about the slopsellers, who have trusted us so long, they are not able, nor can be expected to trust us further, and I fear this winter the fleete will be undone by that particular."

Au contraire: In a memorandum of 26 October Pepys calculated that payment of £7000 in ready money to the two chief slopsellers, Burrows and Beckford, wouuld see the navy through the winter: Further Corr., p. 66. (L&M note)